CRUSHING Adversity… Building Resiliency

Starting the morning off right with a team workout. Sled pulls are are challenging but fun. The important thing to remember in physical fitness and in life is that all improvement takes place outside of your comfort zone.

So after 10 years, several triathlons, thousands of meters rowing, a boat load of “Crush it!” Workouts and a billion slam ball throw downs I am still ticking when I run. I consider today my “Alive Day” and could think of no better way to celebrate life then to do a workout with a bunch of FIRED UP RWBer’s.
That is exactly what I did. Here is the workout:
9 Stations – Each exercise is 9 reps followed by a 50 yard sprint- Do this 4 times per station. The 9 stations are for each of the soldiers that were wounded ( Minus myself. This is about them, not me). The 9 reps is for the date, April 9th. The 4 times per station comes from April being the 4th month. The workout will be 20 minutes and 04 seconds for the year 2004.
Example- Box Jumps
9 box Jumps, 50 yard sprint
9 box jumps, 50 yard sprint,
9 box jumps, 50 yard sprint,
9 box jumps 50 yard sprint- move to next station and repeat again

In the Army, Leaders are expected to be a major source of energy. They are expected to fuel the fire that inspires others to take action. At Team RWB-West Point, the fire is burning HOT during the twice-weekly CRUSH IT functional fitness workouts. During the sessions, a HIGH level of energy is on display as active duty faculty, family members, Veterans, and cadets push both themselves and each other. Physical fitness is an essential part of leader development at West Point ( There are countless studies confirming the benefits of exercise on the brain, both in cognitive function and mood). Through physical fitness, individuals learn how to push themselves and overcome challenges. They learn the motivation to finish comes from within, and Army leaders know it is internal motivation that will give them the fire to accomplish challenging missions in complex, dynamic, and dangerous environments.

At the workouts you never know who will show up. The cadets benefit from the interactions with staff and faculty by seeing positive role models out there CRUSHING IT with them. Some of the participants are wounded warriors or are dealing with other physical challenges and set a positive example for others by demonstrating personal courage every time they step out for a workout. The cadets see values they are supposed to live by put into context. Those values become more than something written on a card or a wall, they come alive.